


Ice Cream Expertise

by Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains



Series: All the Little Lights [1]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: But so is Kaworu, Comedy, First Meeting, Fluff, High School AU, Ice Cream, M/M, Shinji is an awkward human, Technically pre-relationship - Freeform, so it all works out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains/pseuds/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains
Summary: “Not a bad choice,” the boy said with a firm nod.  “Although, I’m more into mint chocolate chip myself."Shinji is faced with a dilemma of sorts, and is a bit indecisive.  Fortunately, Kaworu is there to give some helpful advice.  Or maybe just call himself an ice cream expert.  Let's be honest, it's a bit of both.
Relationships: Ikari Shinji/Nagisa Kaworu
Series: All the Little Lights [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765918
Comments: 8
Kudos: 94





	Ice Cream Expertise

**Author's Note:**

> This is intended to be the start to a series of high school AU Kawoshin and Asurei vignettes, but it also works totally fine as a one shot. Considering it's an AU, there's going to be some rather interesting deviations from canon, some of which are alluded to here. So, if something seems off, that's probably because it is.
> 
> As usual, any errors, grammatical or typographical, are mine. I apologize in advance.

Shinji Ikari was not having a good day.No, perhaps that was an understatement.He was having a distinctively bad day.School had been tedious to say the least, considering that testing week was approaching, and the teachers seemed to be doing their best to “prepare” the students using every form of academic torture known to humankind.Okay, perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it had been a hectic hell all the same.Not to mention the fact that his best friend Touji was going through a rough patch (not the first one, mind you), with his girlfriend Hikari, which led to a tense mood within their friend group outside of class as well.Adding onto this was the fact that he was getting worried about his sister (what wasn’t new?) Rei, who had been especially quiet the past week or so, even by her standards.That was usually a sign that her depression was going through a rough spot.He had wanted to mention something to his mother about it, considering she usually had better luck at getting through to Rei than he did when his sister was going through a difficult time, but unsurprisingly, he hadn’t gotten around to it yet.He was gone too often, and his mother was gone too often.There was all of a one to two hour period when they were both home and awake on any given night. _Rei always ending up alone probably doesn’t help her state of mind improve either.I wish she had more friends.People she could connect with._

And, of course, to top all that wonderful baggage off, he had had work after school, which had gone lovely.Just lovely.A simply wonderful group of customers had come in, and stayed for a better part of three hours, ordering intermittently while they all talked (way too loudly, in his opinion) at their shared table, which, in a predictable move, they hadn’t even bothered to clean off.He was a barista, not a waiter, despite what some people seemed to think.To make matters worse, they had been laughing so hard partway through their “discussion,” that one of the party had practically flung her iced latte through the air by accident (how someone could do that by accident, was a whole other topic for conversation), sending its contents flying halfway across the room (in a bafflingly impressive display, he had to admit, as irritating as it was).Of course, he had drawn the short straw and been the one tasked with cleaning it up.His boss seemed to get a special satisfaction out of giving Shinji all the “fun,” jobs. _Okay, maybe Mr. Anno’s not that bad, but he still gets a kick out of watching me suffer.Or something like that._

Shinji sighed as he pulled his car into the store parking spot.As he exited it, he glanced down at his phone.7:16.That meant he should have enough time to get home and get dinner going before his mother got home.These days, it seemed as though she worked progressively later and later.It had been a couple months since she’d been home before 8.She was almost certainly still out at the base at that moment. _Whatever project she’s working on now is one of the more intensive ones._

He headed for the doors.He was planning on making stir fry, which meant that he needed to get soy sauce for sure, since he knew they had run out from the last time.He thought they had most of the rest of what he needed at home. _So, this should be a quick run.Just in and out._ After a day like today though, he was tempted to grab something sweet. _Come on, after this whole mess, I think I at least half deserve something to take my mind off of it.Just a little._

Inside, he made a bee line for the condiments aisle. _Alright, first things first.Get what I need.Then, maybe, I’ll just check out what they have._ He grabbed soy sauce, and then wavered for a moment, trying to decide just for what he was in the mood. _Okay, just something little.Nothing too big.I am going to be cooking, after all.Hmmm . . . I mean, it’s probably not the best idea, but . . ._

Making his decision, he set off for the frozen section.Once again, he paused when he arrived at the aisle, looking through the glass freezer doors at the available options. _I’ll just get a pint.That should be more than enough.Even if Rei goes for some too.‘Cause mom hardly ever eats anything sweet, so I doubt she’ll have any._ He tilted his head, tapping the soy sauce bottle against his thigh as he considered the selection. _Why are there so many flavors?I didn’t even realize they sold Pumpkin outside of November.And Lime-Raspberry?What would that even taste like?Who comes up with these things?I’ll go for something classic.I could always do Vanilla.But, that’s a little boring.I don’t even really like it that much.Chocolate’s always classic, except that Rei doesn’t like it.And her favorite is Cookie Dough, which I don’t like the texture of . . . there are way too many choices here._ Running his eyes over the racks, he did a quick count. _Forty-two different flavors.Why are there forty-two different flavors?I wonder if anyone’s ever tried them all.Then again, that might take a while.And be kind of pricey.Dammit, I’m getting distracted again._ The only conclusion that Shinji was coming to was the fact that he liked ice cream far too much, and was wasting far more time than he should be trying to pick out something. _Maybe I should just get the soy sauce and head home._ He peaked down at his phone.7:29. _Yeah, I’ve already been here longer than I should be._

A voice interrupted Shinji’s thoughts.“So, what’s your drug of choice?” 

Shinji head snapped to the side, his concentration broken.“What?,” He asked, a little surprised.

The source of the interruption was standing a little further down the aisle, casually leaning on one of the freezer windows, his head cocked to the side, watching Shinji with a friendly smile on his face.Shinji thought the interrupter looked to be about the same age as him, though that fact was complicated slightly by the fact that though his face was youthful, his hair was an ashen grey. _He must dye it.Is grey hair a style though?_ The interrupting individual sported a pair of black jeans and a band shirt for a group whose name looked vaguely familiar to Shinji. _Porcupine Tree . . . I feel like Rei might listen to them.Maybe._ Not to mention the fact that the newcomer had red eyes.Red eyes. _Okay, so maybe this is a look he’s going for.I mean, those are definitely contacts, right?Unless there’s a genetic mutation I’ve never heard of, I don’t think humans can be born with red eyes.Which means that they’re contacts.Which means that the hair is almost definitely dyed too.I’m pretty sure that’s not what ‘scene’ looks like . . . there’d be brighter colors . . . and I don’t think it’s emo either . . . I’m pretty sure his hair would be black then . . . huh . . . maybe that’s goth.Yeah.Let’s go with that._ In addition to making him second guess what scene fashion looked like, Shinji’s visual analysis of the interrupter also led him to a more definite conclusion.That regardless of what category his fashion fell under, he was pretty cute. _Seriously Shinji, focus here, and stop thinking about how some random boy in Safeway who asked you what type of drugs you like is cute.Don’t be an idiot.Sure, you haven’t been on a date in months, ever since Martin broke up with you, but he was a manipulative jerk anyway—_ Shinji realized the interrupter had started talking again, which snapped him back into reality and out of his wandering mind.

“Yeah.What flavor is your favorite.I mean, out of the forty-two, there has to be one you’d pick, right?”

“Oh.Yeah.Probably cookies ’n’ cream,” Shinji answered, feeling more than a bit confused.On an afterthought, he added, “You’ve counted all the flavors too?”

“Not a bad choice,” the boy said with a firm nod.“Although, I’m more into mint chocolate chip myself.And yes, I’ve counted them all.It’s an important part to being an ice cream expert.Keeping track of the available flavors at the nearest store.”

“Okaayyy.”Shinji’s tone betrayed his uncertainty concerning just how he should deal with this stranger.“Ice cream expert?”

“Yep, that would be me,” the boy replied matter-of-factly, as though the question was a pointless one.He strolled over to Shinji and extended his hand.“Kaworu Akagi, ice cream expert, at your service.”

Shinji shook the offered hand, deciding he should be polite, despite the fact that his perplexity had not been substantially diminished in any way. _This guy is . . . interesting, to say the least._ As their hands met, Shinji was struck by the strange, but intense, sense that this wasn’t his first time meeting Kaworu.

“Shinji Ikari.”Against his better judgement, he decided to follow his introduction with, “Have we met before?”

Retracting his hand, Kaworu pursed his lips, ostensibly mulling over the question in his mind.After a few moments, he shook his head.“I don’t think so.At least, not that I can recall.I just got into town a few days ago.Why do you ask?”

Shinji shrugged, trying to play off his earlier question.“Oh, I think you just reminded me of someone I used to know.”

Kaworu nodded, seeming to accept this answer.“Ah, that makes sense.So, have you come to a conclusion, or would you like a second opinion?”

Shinji raised an eyebrow.“About the ice cream, you mean?”

“Indeed.That is the topic on the floor, as they say,” Kaworu responded nonchalantly.

Shinji blinked.“Who says?”

“Why, they do of course.”

“Oh.Umm, alright.”Shinji looked back through the window, surveying his options once more.A obvious choice didn’t present itself.“Well . . . I suppose a second opinion probably wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great,” Kaworu stated, his tone even and pleasant.“Any occasion in particular you’re buying for?”

Shinji shook his head.“Nope, not really.Just . . .” he hesitated, uncertain how much he wanted to tell someone who was still basically a stranger to him.“Just a bad day,” was what he ended up deciding on.

Kaworu pretended to stroke nonexistent hairs on his chin, nodding slowly as did so, in an amusing imitation of the stereotypical philosopher.“Hmm . . . ice cream for a bad day, you say?”

“Uh.Yeah.I guess so.”

“I’d have to recommend Cherry Chip for that.It’s a guaranteed mood improver from my experience.It is nearly impossible to feel down while you’re eating Cherry Chip ice cream.”

“Really?”Shinji’s ice wandered down the display, finally locating the flavor in question.Fortunately, they had it in pint size, which meant that the option was on the table.He couldn’t think of any reason not to go for it.As far as he knew, Rei liked Cherry Chip.At least, he thought she did.He wasn’t entirely sure that he’d ever seen her eat it.For that matter, he wasn’t entirely sure that he’d ever eaten it himself. _Which means it might be pretty good, and I just don’t know it yet.You never know._ “Really.Trust me, I’ve tested its potency.It won’t let you down.”

“Alright.Why not?”Shinji opened the door and grabbed a pint of Cherry Chip.He examined the container in his hands for a few seconds, before looking back up at Kaworu, who now seemed to be smiling in encouragement, which had the effect of making him look even cuter than before. _Come on Shinji, don’t get distracted!Sure, he might be attractive, but he’s also a self-proclaimed ice cream expert. . . not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing yet, to be honest._

“That’ll do the job,” Kaworu remarked, in a straightforward tone that made it sound as though he was utterly confident in the truth of his words.

“I’ll take your word for it.”Shinji furrowed his brow as another question popped into his mind.“Hey .. .you said you just got into town a few days ago.How is it that you already know all the different flavors they have here?”

“It was one of the first things I scoped out after we got into town.Always important to know what kind of ice cream game you’re going to be dealing with.Plus, I had plenty of free time once we finished unpacking, considering I won’t be in school up here until the fall.”

“Ah, okay.That makes sense.”Almost on a whim, Shinji was tempted to ask Kaworu where he had moved from, but decided that could come across as prying a little too much, since Kaworu hadn’t offered that information.As it was, Kaworu gave a partial answer to the question without Shinji even verbalizing it.

“School down south ends earlier.Though, to be fair, it also starts earlier there as well.We left a couple days after my semester ended.Which means I currently have relatively few obligations, other than locating and obtaining a job for the summer.”

“Oh.Yeah.”Shinji still wasn’t exactly sure how to respond, but he decided to field a question of his own.He figured it could come across as a polite inquiry, rather than being nosy, taking into account what Kaworu had just revealed.“So, what brought you up north?”

“My mother got transferred out to the base,” Kaworu returned offhandedly.

Shinji tilted his head in response to this answer, the gears in his brain turning. _Well, that’s interesting._ He almost wanted to make some sort of follow-up remark expressing their similarity in that regard, but he decided that might be a bit too much to say for the moment.Instead, he merely offered acasually, “I gotcha.”He continued with an amiable,“Well, welcome to Asherdale,” along with a more ironic,“It’s halfway decent, once you get used to it.”

Kaworu’s face broken into a grin at the humor, an expression that Shinji couldn’t help but feel made him look all the more attractive. _Oops, getting distracted again. . . don’t do that . . . too much._

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Kaworu said warmly.

“No problem.”The thought suddenly entering his mind, Shinji shot a momentary glance down at his phone. _Hmm, what time is it?_ The answer was 7:37. _7:37?!I’ve been talking for eight minutes?!That felt like four or five at the most.I have to bail, now, if I’m going to make it home in time to get cooking._

He looked back up at Kaworu, who was still watching him, his gaze soft, the smile still on his face, his head tilted to the side.Shinji had the strange feeling that if it had been anyone else, the observational pose the boy had struck would have looked unusual, to say the least, but somehow, on Kaworu, it didn’t look half bad. _It gives him a kind of elegant aesthetic . . . okay, where did I come up with that?I definitely need to head out._

“Hey, look, I’m sorry to leave so quick, but I need to get going.”Shinji cringed a little internally, hearing the awkward tone in his voice. _You could have said that in a way that didn’t basically announced the fact that it made you flustered.Great going._

“Understandable.You wouldn’t want that ice cream to melt before you get the chance to test out its powers.”

“Haha, yeah, you know it.”

Kaworu nodded, imply that yes, he did indeed know it.“Why don’t I give you my number?”He remarked.“That way, you’ll have someone on hand for any future ice cream dilemmas.”

“Ahhh . . .” _Okay, that was actually kind of smooth, in an odd way.And . . . it’s not like it could really hurt anything.I mean, he didn’t even ask for my number.Which means he’s not even necessarily flirting with me.It’d probably be a bit of stretch to say he is.After all, if I have his number, and he doesn’t have mine, that means I can choose whether I want to text him or not, and there’s nothing he can do about it.Which isn’t really a good way to flirt with somebody.I think I’m stalling again here . . .”_

Shinji noticed Kaworu was watching him again, waiting for a response.“Sure.Sounds like a good plan.”He pulled out his phone and hastily created a new contact, before offering it to Kaworu.“Here, you can put it in.”

Kaworu nodded, his smile remaining intact, and typed in the digits, before handing it back to Shinji.“It was nice to meet you, Shinji Ikari,” he commented affably.

“You can just call me Shinji,” Shinji quickly responded.

“Alright then.It was nice to meet you Shinji.”

“You too . . .” _Should I use first and last name like he did the first time?Or just go with first name.I don’t want to offend him, if that’s the sort of thing that’s important to him.After all, he does seem a bit, umm, particular._

“You can just call me Kaworu,” the boy suggested, his smile widening.

“It was nice to meet you Kaworu,” he finished lamely.“Guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yes, maybe so.”

Shinji nodded again, spun on his heels, and promptly made for the registers. _Well, that went excellently.You meet a boy who’s kind of cute, even if he is a little eccentric, and straight off the bat, you’re second guessing yourself and fumbling for words.Fantastic._

Shinji shot a brief glance back as he reached the end of the aisle, to see that Kaworu was now retrieving an ice cream carton of his own from the merchandise freezer.Shinji turned away again before the boy could look back in his direction. _Don’t want him to think I’m staring at him or something._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinji collapsed back onto his bed with a satisfied sigh.He was glad to have finally reach it, after the nigh-interminable day. _Well, maybe not quite interminable.But definitely overlong._ Without much thought, he grabbed his phone from his nightstand and spun in about in his hands a couple times, feeling the sensation of the textured case against his skin.

Dinner had been a success, such as it could be, anyway.He had impressed himself with just how fast he managed to throw things together when he went into slight (well, maybe more than slight) panic mode.

The ice cream had been a success as well.He had to admit, Cherry Chip was a pretty good flavor.He still wasn’t sure whether he had tried it before or not, but he was glad he had definitively tried it now.Rei had also enjoyed it, which was an added plus.In fact, their mother had even had a bowl, something altogether unexpected.Apparently, Cherry Chip ice cream was one of the sweets she would indulge in. _Didn’t see that coming._ All in all, the majority of the pint was no more.

Powering on his phone, Shinji was faced with another choice for the evening.Unlike his earlier ice cream deliberation, however, this cerebration was of a cursory duration.After a few seconds, he had composed the text, and was hovering over the send button. _Alright.Let’s do this._ He tapped the icon.

 **Shinji I.:** Thanks for the recommendation.It was a good choice!Lol.This is Shinji, btw.

The response to his message came swiftly. _Wow, he must type fast._

 **Kaworu A.:** Happy to be of service.I’m glad it worked out.

Shinji found a smile edging its way across his lips. _Maybe, in spite of everything, today wasn’t such a bad day after all._

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, feel free to leave a comment. I always appreciate feedback, be it compliments, critiques, or all-purpose nonsense.


End file.
